G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce GTX 980 Ti

2015

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 21.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($649 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌2015 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌47.1% higher power demand at 250W vs 170W.

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

2022

Why buy it

✅26.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 170W instead of 250W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 21.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $649 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 26.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 980 Ti instead at 13,711 vs 13,170, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 8nm process instead of 28nm, 28 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2022 generation instead of 2015. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 980 Ti makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and lighter 1440p, GeForce GTX 980 Ti is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and lighter 1440p headroom, GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

GeForce GTX 980 Ti

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 2 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1075 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,711 points. Launch price was $649.

GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 12 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1320 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 13,170 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 13,711 and the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU reaches 13,170 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Raw compute: 6.06 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Boost clocks: 1075 MHz vs 1777 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
G3D Mark Score	13,711+4%	13,170
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2816	3584+27%
Compute (TFLOPS)	6.06 TFLOPS	12.74 TFLOPS+110%
Boost Clock	1075 MHz	1777 MHz+65%
ROPs	96+100%	48
TMUs	176+57%	112
L1 Cache	1 MB	3.5 MB+250%
L2 Cache	3 MB	3 MB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 980 Ti is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 6 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	6 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	336 GB/s	336 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit+100%	192-bit
L2 Cache	3 MB	3 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
DirectX	12.1	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.1	1.4+27%
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 3.0 (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs NVENC (7th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs NVDEC (5th Gen). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode),VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
Encoder	NVENC 3.0	NVENC (7th Gen)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	NVDEC (5th Gen)
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode),VP9

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti draws 250W versus the GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU's 170W — a 38.1% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 980 Ti) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs Mobile. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
TDP	250W	170W-32%
Recommended PSU	600W	500W-17%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	Mobile
Length	267mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	85°C	75°C-12%
Perf/Watt	54.8	77.5+41%

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (2022 vs 2015).

Feature	GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
MSRP	$649	—
Codename	GM200	GA106
Release	June 2 2015	October 12 2022
Ranking	#179	#147

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